The night was serene, yet deceptive. A half-moon hung above, casting an eerie silver glow over the restless city. The wind whispered like a warning through the trees, rustling their leaves in a quiet yet unsettling symphony. The stars, though scattered like diamonds, seemed to dim — as if they too sensed the storm that brewed below.
But for Joseph, the night felt anything but calm. The flashing cameras and thunderous murmurs of the chaotic crowd still echoed in his mind. Even now, as they sped away, the lingering tension gnawed at his chest like a tightening noose.
David slammed his foot on the gas, tires screeching as the car skidded violently around a sharp corner. The blur of city lights streaked past, distorted and unstable.
"Man, what do we do now?!" David's voice was strained, his knuckles white from gripping the wheel. "The news is spreading like wildfire! People are acting like zombies, man—following Joseph everywhere!" His frustration bled into his voice.
Lopez, seated beside Joseph, glanced back through the rear window. The distant glow of the crowd still lingered, like embers of a dying fire that refused to go out. Her lips curled in frustration.
"Let them," she muttered darkly. "People love a good drama. This is their entertainment."
Her tone softened when she turned to Joseph. "Sir... are you okay?"
Joseph didn't answer immediately. His fingers pressed against his temples, as if trying to squeeze the spiraling thoughts from his mind. His voice was strained, barely a whisper.
"No... no, I'm not. I let him provoke me again... I'm playing right into his hands, like a puppet on strings."
Lopez's brow furrowed, concern creeping into her face. "Who's provoking you?"
Before Joseph could answer, David cut in, his voice low with guilt. "Sorry, man... I froze again back there. I should have been ready... I should've done something."
"It's not your fault," Joseph muttered, his gaze still distant.
"Hold on a minute!" Lopez snapped, her irritation flaring as she glanced between the two men. "What exactly are you two talking about?"
David and Joseph exchanged a quick glance — both knowing that no answer would calm her fury.
"We'll explain everything once we find a place to stop," they said in unison.
Lopez's expression twisted with frustration. Her fingers drummed impatiently against her armrest as she folded her arms tightly across her chest. The silence stretched thick and heavy, like a thundercloud waiting to burst.
"Don't drive toward my house," Joseph said abruptly. "If this news is spreading as fast as it seems, there could be reporters camped out there already."
David clenched the steering wheel tighter. "Then where should I go?!"
Joseph hesitated, then glanced sideways at Lopez. The instant their eyes met, she knew what he was about to suggest. Her face paled in horror.
"No. No, no, no..." Lopez shook her head, her voice rising in panic. "I live in a shared flat!"
Joseph raised an eyebrow, more stunned than when he faced the demon general itself. "Shared? With who? Is it a he?"
Lopez's expression darkened, her frustration boiling over. "No! It's a she!"
David, still driving aimlessly through the dark streets, barked in frustration. "Can you both save this lover's quarrel for later? Seriously, where am I supposed to drive?!"
Joseph and Lopez exchanged a quick glance, their cheeks flushing with embarrassment before turning away from each other in silence. The air inside the car seemed to thicken, the quiet stretching uncomfortably.
David sighed heavily, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.
"Come on, guys... seriously? Just say it already!" he groaned, his frustration barely concealed.
Joseph snapped his head forward, his mind racing for an answer.
"HELL..." Everyone got silent for a moment process what just Joseph spoke, definitely Joseph himself too. Correcting himself he spoke, "I mean HILL! The one on the outskirts of the city," Joseph stammered, his voice louder than intended.
David's lips curled into a crooked grin, his tone dropping into a sarcastic drawl.
"Alright, passengers. Buckle up... this ride's about to get Fast and Furious."
The tires screeched as David floored the accelerator, the city lights shrinking behind them. The roads twisted like serpents as they climbed higher into the outskirts, the rocky hills casting jagged shadows under the pale moonlight. The wind howled past the windows, pressing against the car like unseen hands trying to force them back.
When they finally reached the summit, David parked the car near the cliff's edge. The city sprawled below them like a sea of shimmering jewels. Streetlights flickered in the distance, while faint murmurs from the crowded streets seemed to echo even from this far away. The air was cold, sharp, and biting — the kind of chill that seeped into your bones and made your breath visible.
David stepped out first, the gravel crunching beneath his boots as he walked toward the cliff's edge. He stood there for a moment, taking in the view before exhaling deeply.
"Well," he muttered, turning back to the others, "Looks like we're finally alone... right?"
Joseph stepped out next, adjusting his jacket against the biting cold. He knew David wanted him to confront Lopez, and now there was no way out of it.
"Yeah," Joseph muttered, his voice low. "Now we can talk about what's really going on."
Lopez slammed her door shut and stood firm; her arms crossed tightly across her chest. Her eyes narrowed, a cold fire burning within them.
"Oh, funny," she snapped. "I'm finally part of the conversation? Considering I've been in the dark this whole time."
Joseph sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping.
"We weren't keeping anything from you on purpose," he said quietly. "It's just... the right moment never came."
Lopez's face twisted in disbelief, her voice cracking as her frustration spilled out.
"I'm your secretary, Joseph! I should know what's happening to you! Do you have any idea how hard it's been to process all these... these creatures, these bizarre events, without any context? I've seen you suffer, watched you shut down emotionally... and you never let me in! How am I supposed to deal with this when I don't even know what's happening to you?!"
Her voice trembled, her words barely holding together. Her eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, met Joseph's. The raw emotion carved into her face struck him harder than any demon's blow ever could. Without thinking, Joseph stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against his chest.
Lopez froze at first, her body rigid. But the warmth of his embrace broke her resistance. Her resolve crumbled, and she buried her face into Joseph's shoulder. Her quiet sobs shook against him, the pain she had suppressed finally breaking free.
David, watching from a few steps away, awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.
"Uh... yeah... didn't see that coming," he muttered under his breath.
The air seemed lighter now, as if the tension had been swept away by the wind that whistled softly through the trees. The distant city lights flickered like fading candles below them, adding an eerie calm to the scene.
After a few minutes, Joseph finally spoke, his voice gentle.
"I know you've been with me for over five years... and I know how hard you've worked—not just because it's your job, but because you care. I'm grateful for everything, Lopez. I really am."
His voice softened as he spoke. The usual formality was gone, replaced by something warmer — something real.
David, sensing the moment had passed, returned to the car. He cleared his throat loudly, breaking the silence.
"Alright, alright. Now that we've had our little Hallmark moment... don't you think it's time you told Lopez about the Demon General?"
Joseph exhaled, turning back to face Lopez. His expression turned serious.
"David's right," he said. "You deserve to know everything."
Lopez wiped her eyes, her expression turning firm again as she prepared herself.
"After that night at the apartment," Joseph began, "the night we encountered the demon... something else happened. The next morning, I woke up and everything seemed normal, but then... time stopped. I mean, literally stopped. I was about to join you guys for breakfast when he appeared... the Demon General. He warned me... told me to stay out of their affairs, not to interfere."
Joseph paused, his gaze darkening as if recalling something far worse.
"Today morning," he continued, his voice barely above a whisper, "he warned me again... about something big. Something dangerous."
Lopez blinked, her face tense with confusion.
"Warned you?" she asked slowly. "Warned you about what... exactly?"
The night air seemed to grow colder, and for a moment, even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Joseph hesitated, the weight of his words hanging heavily on his chest. He finally spoke, his voice low and grim:
"He warned me... that humans would turn against me. Once they find out what I really am."
David scratched his head, frowning deeply. His usual casual demeanor faltered under the seriousness of Joseph's words.
"I knew about the demon," David muttered, "but you never told me he said that too."
Lopez folded her arms tightly, her fingers gripping her sleeves as if holding herself together.
"He's trying to break you down..." she said quietly. "He wants you to turn against humans... so you won't stand in his way."
David's face darkened, his voice turning cold.
"That could be true... but the worst part is... he's not completely wrong. Humans will turn on us if they find out the truth."
The silence that followed was suffocating. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath. The weight of David's words pressed down on them like a crushing boulder.
Joseph finally spoke; his voice heavy with resolve.
"We can't hide. If we do, the demons will slaughter humans in the open. If we don't stand in their way... no one will."
Suddenly, the air thickened. A cold grip clutched their surroundings, heavy and unnatural. The wind stopped. Even the faint rustle of leaves went still. The world itself seemed to lock in place — frozen in a suffocating stillness.
Joseph's breath hitched. He knew this feeling. His muscles tensed as an icy dread crawled down his spine.
"Not this again..."
His eyes narrowed, and without hesitation, Joseph shifted into his mid-vampire form. His nails sharpened to deadly points, his fangs extended over his lower lip, and — this time — his wings unfurled from his back. They weren't the dark, leathery wings of his vampire bloodline. Instead, they were radiant — angelic — feathered with streaks of gold running along the edges. The faint glow they emitted seemed to cut through the oppressive darkness that pressed in from all sides.
From the shadows, a voice broke the silence.
"Hah... why does this look like a series I watched on a streaming app?" The voice chuckled; its tone thick with mockery. A twisted figure began to form within the smoke.
"Now what?" The voice sneered. "You gonna start calling yourself Morningstar? Open a nightclub and brood about your daddy issues?"
Joseph's lips curled back, revealing his sharpened fangs. His growl rumbled low and dangerous.
"Shut up," he spat. "I'm done with your games. Show yourself!"
The smoke thickened and twisted until the Demon General's twisted form solidified from the swirling tendrils of black mist. His jagged grin carved across his face like a wicked gash. The air grew heavy — suffocating — as his presence seeped into the surroundings, choking the faint warmth Joseph's glowing wings provided.
The Demon General's grin widened, sharp teeth glinting in the dim light.
"Ah..." the Demon General chuckled darkly. "I see you're angry. Is it because I keep freezing your friends over... and over... again?" His grin widened, sharp teeth glinting in the dim glow of Joseph's wings.
With a flick of his wrist, David and Lopez unfroze — but their movements were sluggish, like they were trapped in invisible chains. They could speak, but every motion seemed strained, their limbs heavy and slow.
Lopez's eyes widened in shock as she caught sight of Joseph's altered form — the glowing wings, his sharpened features — the inhuman power radiating from him. Her voice trembled as she tried to speak.
"J... Joseph?"
Before Joseph could answer, the Demon General shifted like smoke, appearing beside Lopez in an instant. His shadowy fingers stretched toward her; his eyes gleaming with wicked delight.
"You must be important to him..." the General sneered, his hand closing in.
"NO!"
In a blur, Joseph's body vanished from where he stood, reappearing beside Lopez. His hand shot out like a striking viper, gripping the Demon General's face with brutal force. With a furious roar, Joseph slammed the demon into the ground — hard enough to crack the earth beneath them.
The Demon General's body dragged across the rocky surface as Joseph refused to let go. His claws dug deep into the demon's face, sharp tips slicing into flesh as he dragged him further — grinding him through the dirt like a ragdoll.
"Don't you dare touch her," Joseph growled, his voice guttural and seething with rage.
The air crackled with tension, the faint glow of his angelic wings casting shifting shadows across the jagged earth. Joseph's eyes — now blazing crimson — locked onto the demon's own. His grip tightened, claws digging deeper.
The Demon General's sinister grin faded for a little moment, replaced by something rare — fear?
The storm had truly begun.
To be Continued...